Mayor Ed Braddy (At-large)

Mayor Edward Braddy is driving a culture of positive change and economic growth in the most innovative city in Florida. Mayor Braddy has undertaken over a decade of public service in the greater Gainesville region, serving first on the Gainesville City Commission from 2002 to 2008. As commissioner, he chaired both the Public Safety and Regional Utilities committees and also served on key transportation boards including the Metropolitan Transportation Planning Organization and the North Central Florida Regional Planning Council.

Following his service on the City Commission, Mayor Braddy served as Executive Director of the American Dream Coalition, a non-profit organization promoting freedom, mobility and affordable homeownership across the United States. Over the past five years, he has also provided guidance and expertise to elected officials and community leaders in cities across Florida and the United States, helping to identify and promote cost-effective solutions to complex municipal and state issues. Mayor Braddy has published extensively in multiple national journals and focused on areas including growth management, transportation, and property rights issues with audiences ranging from state officials to think tank scholars to grassroots activists.

Mayor Braddy currently serves as chair of the city’s Audit & Finance Committee and the Legislative & Organizational Policy Committee. He also serves on the the Combined Communications Center Executive Board, the North Central Florida Regional Planning Council, the Gainesville Community Redevelopment Agency and the Gainesville/Alachua County Metropolitan Transportation Planning Organization.

Mayor Braddy currently holds a position at Santa Fe College, named one of the top 10 community colleges in the country by the Aspen Institute. He is a lifelong Floridian – born in south Florida; raised in north Florida – and graduated from the University of Florida with a degree in history, one of the great passions he enjoys. He is the father of five children ranging in age from eight to 18 and often enjoys fishing and boating with his friends and family.